12.1 Introduction
In 1962, in response to the need to monitor global fallout resulting from nuclear
weapons tests, the National Environmental Radioactivity Surveillance Network
(NERSN) was established in Romania in the frame of the existing HydroMeteorological network. The network was developed gradually reaching a number
of 23 monitoring stations by 1986 and was coordinated scientifically and methodologically by the Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory (ERL) from BucharestAfumati. After the Chernobyl accident the number of stations has doubled, reaching
47 fully staffed and operational stations by the end of the 1980s. NERSN stations’
locations are of is presented in (Osvath and Dovlete 1992). During the 1990s and
afterwards the organisation and the affiliation of the network and its coordinating
lab has changed a number of times.
As part of the Romanian environmental radioactivity monitoring programme,
environmental samples were systematically collected at the sampling stations of the
NERSN. Atmospheric aerosols and wet and dry depositions, soil, vegetation and
surface, well and drinking water were sampled regularly. All the stations from
NERSN followed the same methodology for the sample collection preparation and
measurement programme. Gross beta measurements were performed promptly at
each station and the results were centralised by ERL. As of 1977 the samples were
forwarded to ERL for radionuclide analyses.
Thus, besides its role to provide methodological development and support for
NERSN and to ensure the analytical quality of the network data, ERL carried out
research in the area of natural and anthropogenic environmental radioactivity. A
short description of the environmental radioactivity studies performed at the ERL
before the Chernobyl accident (period 1977–1985) is presented in Sect. 12.2.
In Sect. 12.3, the post-Chernobyl environmental radioactivity in Romania is
presented for atmospheric deposition and aerosols, soil, surface waters, Black Sea
water, sediment and biota. Research results obtained for the period 1986–1994 are
summarised. These include studies of the Chernobyl fallout space-time patterns,
radionuclide concentration ratios, and deposition velocities; studies of hot particles
identified in some of the deposition samples; the study of the resuspension process
and the model developed for the time dependence of resuspension factors for
137 Cs;
and studies of the radioactivity of surface rivers, including the Danube, the Danube
Delta and the Black Sea.
204
C. Dovlete et al.
In 1962, in response to the need to monitor global fallout resulting from nuclear
weapons tests, the National Environmental Radioactivity Surveillance Network
(NERSN) was established in Romania in the frame of the existing HydroMeteorological network. The network was developed gradually reaching a number
of 23 monitoring stations by 1986 and was coordinated scientifically and methodologically by the Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory (ERL) from BucharestAfumati. After the Chernobyl accident the number of stations has doubled, reaching
47 fully staffed and operational stations by the end of the 1980s. NERSN stations’
locations are of is presented in (Osvath and Dovlete 1992). During the 1990s and
afterwards the organisation and the affiliation of the network and its coordinating
lab has changed a number of times.
As part of the Romanian environmental radioactivity monitoring programme,
environmental samples were systematically collected at the sampling stations of the
NERSN. Atmospheric aerosols and wet and dry depositions, soil, vegetation and
surface, well and drinking water were sampled regularly. All the stations from
NERSN followed the same methodology for the sample collection preparation and
measurement programme. Gross beta measurements were performed promptly at
each station and the results were centralised by ERL. As of 1977 the samples were
forwarded to ERL for radionuclide analyses.
Thus, besides its role to provide methodological development and support for
NERSN and to ensure the analytical quality of the network data, ERL carried out
research in the area of natural and anthropogenic environmental radioactivity. A
short description of the environmental radioactivity studies performed at the ERL
before the Chernobyl accident (period 1977–1985) is presented in Sect. 12.2.
In Sect. 12.3, the post-Chernobyl environmental radioactivity in Romania is
presented for atmospheric deposition and aerosols, soil, surface waters, Black Sea
water, sediment and biota. Research results obtained for the period 1986–1994 are
summarised. These include studies of the Chernobyl fallout space-time patterns,
radionuclide concentration ratios, and deposition velocities; studies of hot particles
identified in some of the deposition samples; the study of the resuspension process
and the model developed for the time dependence of resuspension factors for
137 Cs;
and studies of the radioactivity of surface rivers, including the Danube, the Danube
Delta and the Black Sea.
204
C. Dovlete et al.